


From the Ashes

by Yamx



Series: Those We Love the Best [11]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alien Planet, Angst, Backstory: Jack Harkness, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, OT3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-03
Updated: 2011-04-03
Packaged: 2017-10-21 13:42:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/225824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yamx/pseuds/Yamx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ugliness can lead to beauty, be it in personal relationships or on a larger scale.</p>
            </blockquote>





	From the Ashes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sahiya](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sahiya/gifts).



"You're not fucking listening!" Jack glares at the Doctor.

"Jack," Rose says soothingly, but he gesture at her to be quiet.

"You may be an incredibly brilliant Time Lord, but that doesn't mean you're always right!" Why won't the Doctor let him finish? He knows his plan can work!

"No it doesn't. But I am right this time. If you'd just lis–"

"You listen! Dammit, at least _pretend_ you care what anyone else thinks."

Rose shifts in her seat uncomfortably. The Doctor looks at Jack for a moment, mouth open. Then he nods and crosses his arms. "Go on, then."

"The invasion fleet is still at least two days away."

"True."

"That's not enough to evacuate both planets, but they have high powered intra-system tractor technology."

"Yep."

"So," Jack continues triumphantly, "all we need to do is re-align their gynthiran crystals and polarize the particle flow and we can turn those into a power-field forceful enough to hold off the fleet until help can get here from the homeworld!" He slaps the console. "No one needs to die here."

Rose turns to the Doctor, looking hopeful.

The Time Lord shrugs. "Right in principle."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jack clenches his fist. Pictures of the peaceful villages, the almost-antiquated space port, the university complex full of young people from all over the galaxy learning and researching, and streets full of little children are dancing through his mind. "You're going to let everyone here die because it wasn't your idea?"

The Doctor shakes his head. "Low blow. Know me better than that."

"Then why won't you help?" He imagines bombers hanging in the skies above fields full of bodies, the biggest library in the quadrant in flames, the beaches covered in dead families. It takes all his willpower to keep glaring at the Doctor rather than closing his eyes tightly in an attempt to make them go away.

"'Cause," the Doctor says, and the dull darkness in his eyes suddenly makes him look his age, "it's a fixed point. Can't interfere, won't let you interfere." His voice softens. "Don't like it, but it has to happen."

Jack stares. Fuck. A fixed point in time. He should have figured. He should have known the Doctor, who loves nothing more than to help others, wouldn't let millions of people die unless there was a real reason. And a fixed point in time – one of the nuts and bolts that keep reality hanging together – is about as real as a reason can get. Even an idiot former Time Agent should be able to figure that out.

Rose's hand covers her mouth. There are tears brimming in her eyes. The Doctor puts a hand on her shoulder.

Jack feels his knees weaken. Images of the destruction to come are screaming in his brain.

The Doctor cups his neck with one hand. "'M sorry, lad."

Jack laughs, but it's hollow, like a cough. "Shouldn't I be saying that to you?"

The Doctor pulls him into a hug. He doesn't say anything. Rose squeezes Jack's shoulder gently.

Jack leans in. The Doctor puts a hand in the small of his back and pretends not to notice the tears that are rolling down Jack's cheeks and soaking into the collar of his jumper.

"I shouldn't have talked to you that way. I'm sorry." Jack's voice is shaking, but he doesn't care.

The Doctor shrugs. "Bad memories. I get it."

Jack pulls back and looks at him, surprised. "How do you kn–"

"Worked out a while ago that you're from Boeshane." His eyes hold nothing but sympathy and he keeps his arms around Jack.

Rose looks confused, but she doesn’t ask. Just as well. He doesn’t want to tell this story right now. The Doctor can fill her in later.

Jack nods. "Yeah. This is... difficult."

The Doctor lets go of Jack and walks to the doors, shutting them with a decisive bang.

"C'mon. Wanna show you something." He walks to the console and waits until Jack takes his place beside him.

The TARDIS dematerializes, leaving the doomed twin worlds of Gashnu behind.

They materialize seconds later, and the Doctor opens the doors and strides outside without explanation. They follow.

Outside is a huge garden – soft grass, myriad flowers in all shades of the rainbow, little birds singing in the trees. Everywhere they look, there are children playing, people strolling hand in hand, dancers and painters practicing their craft.

"It's beautiful!" Rose breathes in deeply.

Jack nods, still too shaken to really appreciate his surroundings.

The Doctor nods. "The people who settled this planet – and over ten-thousand other worlds like it – are called the T'eriga. Five thousand years ago, their species was almost extinguished by a virus. They're artists, the T'eriga. Didn't have the science to find a cure, nor the riches to pay someone else to."

Rose looks shocked. "And no one helped 'em just 'cause?"

Jack is watching a little boy playing with a puppy. The animal jumps up to lick the child's face, toppling the toddler on his backside. Jack can feel a smile tug at the corner off his mouth, though he can't quite bring himself to let it out yet.

The Doctor shakes his head. "Antiviral research is expensive business, Rose. Risky, too. Not a lot of people will do it without hope of profit."

"So what happened?"

The puppy's now napping on the boy's chest, looking happy and content as can be.

The Doctor turns to Jack. "The invasion of Gashnu happened."

Jack looks up, startled.

"No one's quite sure how, but there was an outbreak of the same virus amongst the survivors. Might have been accidental contamination of one of the aid packages, might even have been biological warfare."

Rose takes Jack's hand and squeezes it gently.

The Doctor continues. "Thing is, Gashnu had brilliant scientists. Not all of 'em died in the attack. They had an antiviral ready within a few months, an' a vaccine in a year. And since they needed a lot of funds to rebuild their society, they were willing to sell it at reasonable prices to anyone who wanted large quantities. Even traded goods for services – plenty of artisans needed during the reconstruction."

"Ten thousand worlds like this, you said?" Jack asks.

The Doctor nods. "More, actually. An' many of them started their own colonies over time."

Jack smiles and squeezes Rose's hand, holding his other out to the Doctor.

The Doctor takes it and starts leading them along the path. "There's always an even bigger picture, lad. Just need to know where to look."

Jack kisses his cheek. "Thank you." He looks back at the little boy and the puppy, now merrily chasing each other around the lawn.

He knows things don't always work out for the best. But for right now, he'll allow himself to believe that they do. If you just know where to look.

The End


End file.
